Don't come between a Marine and her coffee
by AAB
Summary: Mec overslept and on top of that the coffeemachine in the office doesn't work
**D on't come between a Marine and her coffee
**

 _Friday morning  
Mac's apartment  
_It promised to be a day from hell.  
First she overslept. For some stupid, unknown reason her alarm clock had decided to refuse to do its duty. She barely had had time to hop in and out of the shower, put on her uniform and grab a flat bagel while running to the door. On the way to work she had seen her favourite coffee shop but also the line stretching from the counter well into the street.  
Well, she didn't have time to stop anyway.

At nine she came to an almost sliding halt in the bullpen. The Admiral's yeoman was working on some schedules.  
"Tiner, I'm late. Can you get me a cup of coffee?"

At his desk Tiner put down his paperwork. He swallowed; according to the edge in the Major's voice it was going to be a long day.  
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, the machine is out of order. They are working on the water system."  
With an angry noise Mac disappeared into her office to start a day that would be filled with reading files, making numerous phone calls and seeing several clients.  
At half past nine her first client knocked on her door and Mac sat herself to interview him. Maybe the man couldn't help it but he was a bore. Although he was very willing to talk, getting a to-the-point answer, let alone the information she needed, was like pulling teeth and Mac was definitely no dentist. When he left, she leaned back in her chair and grabbed her coffee cup, only to find it empty. And then she remembered. With a sigh she picked up the next file and tried to forget her begging synapses.

At almost eleven o'clock Mac was sure she was turning crazy. She definitely was addicted, she realized, and now going cold turkey on caffeine. Still it piqued her pride to send out Tiner. She gritted her teeth and tried to focus at the file lying in front of her.  
Outside her office said Tiner was whispering urgently to Harm.  
"Sir, it's not a wise thing to disturb the Major now. She is pretty …" he felt silent trying to come up wit a word that described Mac's state of mind. "You know, she is not happy when there is no coffee."  
Harm bit back a smile. 'Tell me' he thought.  
"Don't worry, Tiner," he said, lifting the brown paper bag in his hand for him to see. "I have just the thing to cheer her up."  
He turned and knocked on Mac's door. From the corner of his eye he saw Tiner make a hasty retreat.  
"Enter!" It sounded very hostile indeed.  
He poked his head in and waved his handkerchief like a white flag. "Don't shoot, Marine! I come bearing gifts."  
Out of a brown paper bag he took the most delightful of all things: an extra-large Styrofoam beaker with a plastic lid. Mac dropped her pen and all but drooled with anticipation. He removed the lid and moved the object through the air. The rich odour of strong coffee spread through the room. Her eyes closed Mac inhaled deeply. Then she al but snatched the proffered beaker and took her first big gulp of the day.  
"Aaah!" A second followed and then a third till the beaker was drained completely.  
When the last drop had disappeared she dropped the empty beaker in the bin.  
"Thank you. I really needed that."  
"You're welcome, Marine."  
Harm turned up to leave the room. When he was about to step out of the door Mac called after him "You can tell the others to relax now." Harm laughed out loud.  
After reassuring his co-workers the Major wasn't a ticking time bomb anymore, he returned to his room, grabbed his cover, coat and briefcase and headed outside, on his way to interview a witness. 

I t was almost 2.30pm when he returned. In addition to getting the wanted interview, he had taken the liberty to make a small detour. One he wasn't sure the Admiral would have approved. With a big grin on his face he patted his briefcase, now a lot fatter than that morning.  
At his arrival Tiner looked up. "The Major likes to discuss some things with you."  
"That all right, Tiner. Is the coffee machine fixed already?"  
With a gloomy face Tiner shook his head. "Not yet, Sir." Unconsciously he threw a look to Mac's office.  
"Don't worry, I'll handle it," Harm smiled. He walked to his own room, shed cover and coat and then, making a little d-tour by the kitchen, headed for Mac's office.  
"Hi," Mac greeted him. She wasn't in an as explosive mood as that morning but not looking happy. Uninvited Harm took the visitor's chair. Mac looked with a frown at the single cup he placed in front of him.  
"I bought you something."  
That was met with raised eyebrows. Grinning he handed her a small package.  
"I washed it," he declared, "so you can use it right away."  
With anticipation, not that she was prepared to admit that, Mac tore the paper away. Inside she found a large mug. Turning it around she saw it had sentences on it, and three horizontal lines.  
At the upper line stood _unable to communicate in full sentences_ , the middle line told _slightly more coherent but still unable to hold a conversation_ and the last one, only a quarter of an inch above the bottom read _you may speak now_.  
First Mac's jaw hit her desk, then she shut her mouth with an audible smack. In the mean time Harm had produced a large thermos with coffee from his briefcase and stared pouring, first his own cup and when Mac, still speechless, held up hers, her mug too.  
Mac wavered between laughing and getting angry but the rich scent of strong coffee made the scale tip to the first pretty soon.  
"My knight in shining army,' she chuckled. "Always prepared to the rescue." 

_Friday evening  
Harm's apartment  
_She was late and Harm couldn't help feeling a bit worried. It was nothing like Mac to be late so when, almost twenty minutes later than expected there was the knock on the door, he was really relieved.  
"I'm sorry I'm late. I had to run an errand," she explained.  
He smiled.  
"Don't worry. Dinner needs another ten minutes."  
"Good, that gives me the opportunity to give you this."

From out of a bag she produced a rectangular package, very similar to the one he had given her just hours ago.  
With a broad smile on his face he began to unwrap and indeed, it was a mug as well. But the caption left Harm speechless. With a smirk Mac took the cup out of his hands and read it aloud "Women are not supposed to make coffee … the Bible says He brews." She smothered a giggle "But remember: if a cup can't take you in a straight up fight it's not strong enough and a marine fixes his coffee to match his, or her, personality!"  
For once Harm was speechless.

The end 


End file.
